The May 2010 issue of American Cinematographer magazine salutes the ASC and Academy Award nominees for cinematography and offers a recap of the Academy Scientific and Technical Awards.

Iron Man 2 (Paramount)Matthew Libatique, ASC and director Jon Favreau welcomed American Cinematographer to the set of this hotly anticipated sequel to their 2008 blockbuster featuring Marvel Comics' ingenious, indestructible superhero. Having revealed to the public that he is Iron Man, billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself pinned between evil weapons manufacturer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and the villainous Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). Fortunately for the good guys, the armor-clad hero War Machine (Don Cheadle) joins Iron Man in the fight for truth, justice and the American way. Libatique will share his strategies for giving the film a look consistent with the first Iron Man while working with an impressive array of lighting fixtures even the ultra-wealthy Stark might envy. Our coverage will also include a sidebar with 2nd-unit director/cinematographer Jonathan Taylor, ASC.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (20th Century Fox)Rodrigo Prieto, ASC, AMC and director Oliver Stone, who had previously collaborated on Alexander, reteamed for this sequel to Stone's 1987 classic Wall Street. Fresh out of prison, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) finds himself in a changed world, but one where his old mantra "Greed is good" can still guide him. Prieto will discuss bringing Gekko into the 21st century, his working relationship with Stone, and shooting in New York City.

OceansLuciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC served as director of photography for the fictional portions of this ecological drama/documentary hybrid. Filmed throughout the world, the picture combines thriller-like suspense with a meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world. Tovoli, who also supervised the film's digital intermediate in Paris, will discuss his work on the film, and our coverage will also examine some of the high-tech underwater rigs employed by the rest of production's expert camera team.

ASC/Academy Award winners and nomineesIn our annual salute to the year's best cinematography, we will present a pictorial recap of the annual ASC Awards weekend and acknowledge the accomplishments of all the directors of photography who were honored at the ASC and Academy Award ceremonies: Barry Ackroyd, BSC (The Hurt Locker),Dion Beebe, ASC,ACS (Nine), Christian Berger, AAC (The White Ribbon),Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC(Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince),Mauro Fiore, ASC(Avatar) and Robert Richardson, ASC(Inglourious Basterds).

Academy Scientific and Technical AwardsWe will offer a complete review of this year's ingenious honorees, whose technical contributions to filmmaking were feted on February 20 during a prestigious dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The May issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

Short Takes will feature interviews with the Richard Moore Heritage Award recipients Benji Bakshi from the American Film Institute, who shot the short film Life on Earth, and Garrett Shannon from Loyola Marymount University, who shot the short In Memoriam.

Production Slate will offer an interview with cinematographer Xavier Pérez Grobet, ASC about the familial drama Mother and Child, directed by Rodrigo García. This section will also include a Q&A with cinematographers Jens Fischer and Eric Kress about their collaboration on the Swedish thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, directed by Niels Arden Oplev.

Post Focus will take a close look at the recently restored classic A Star is Born.